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Thursday, July 25 Max: Mosley needed something extra to win By Max Kellerman Special to ESPN.com |
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Shane Mosley needed to come up with something magical on Saturday night. He didn't. While Vernon Forrest did not dominate Mosley to the extent that he had in their first fight, Forrest nevertheless got the result he needed -- another 12 round unanimous decision. I always thought Mosley was more Ray Leonard than Mark Breland, but Leonard would have at least attempted something dramatic had he been in Mosley's position -- down on points in the late rounds of the rematch to a loss he was looking to avenge. Mark Breland lost his welterweight crown to Marlon Starling by late-round knockout, and then was unable to win back his title when the two met again. In a boring rematch, Breland did not take enough chances against Starling and wound up getting a draw in a fight he probably deserved to lose. The televised portion of the undercard to Forrest-Mosley paired two of the five best light heavyweights in the world in a rematch of one of the better Friday Night Fights from last year. Antonio Tarver was looking for revenge against Eric Harding and he got it. Their first fight was fast-paced and competitive, but Harding's skills were a little finer, his timing a little better and his punches a little crisper. As a result he walked away with a unanimous decision and a title shot against Roy Jones Jr. Harding then acquitted himself well against Jones and as a result his stock rose in defeat. Going into the Tarver rematch I suspected that Harding was the second-best 175-pounder in the world. I had already seen him beat Tarver and would have picked him against undefeated Dariusz Michalczewski. The first three rounds of the Tarver fight only strengthened my feeling. In Tarver's corner, his trainer, welterweight champion Buddy McGirt, gave him well crafted, specific instructions, but against Harding, Tarver was simply unable to carry them out. It is not that Tarver fought poorly, only that Harding's skill was more advanced, his timing more subtle. Through three rounds, in fact, I was convinced that Eric Harding posed a serious threat to Roy Jones should the two ever rematch. And then it happened. Harding, showing little respect for Tarver's punching power, reached for Tarver and left himself open for a straight left hand counter. And Tarver threw one. And it landed. Hard. Even though Harding lasted into the next round, the fight essentially ended on one punch. Tarver reversed his only professional loss and put himself in position for a payday against Jones. Yes, Roy will likely go upside Tarver's head, but one of these days Roy will lose -- they all do. Antonio Tarver has a magnificent amateur background, a lot of pride, some handspeed and some boxing skills, and apparently a pretty good straight left hand. Roy shouldn't sleep.
Midway through the very first round against Davis, Thompson landed a left hook and then followed up with a series of blows that Davis barely withstood. The fight looked like it would end early. But Davis managed to survive. "Superman" fought his way back, and by the middle of the fight actually began to win rounds. By the end Davis had pulled off what seemed early on to be an improbable points win. Thompson remains a top 10, or at least top 20 type, while Davis draws closer to a shot at any number of belt holders in the 168-pound division.
Elvir might be limited, and Teddy must have known something about Ahmad going into the fight -- maybe Sammy wasn't taking punches all that well in the gym -- but the fact remains that Elvir picked himself up off the canvas when it looked for all the world like he was done, and went on not only to survive, but to win. After the fight everyone I talked to referred to how much heart Muriqi showed by picking himself up off the deck. All those people are, of course, correct -- Elvir certainly did show heart by getting up. Just as Davis did in surviving Thompson's assault, and Tarver did in turning his fight around against Harding. More importantly though, Muriqi, Davis and Tarver all showed the will to win, which is not quite the same thing as showing heart, even though boxing people often confuse the two ideas. It is one thing to fight through a beating in a losing effort, as Mosley did against Forrest in their first fight. It is quite another thing to come back from a beating and wrench victory out of certain defeat, as Sugar Ray Leonard did against Thomas Hearns in their first fight, and very nearly did in their rematch. Shane Mosley has all the heart in the world. If he also had the will to win that Leonard had, his right to the nickname Sugar would now be secure.
Max Kellerman is a studio analyst for ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.
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